A former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, are fighting over money.
He made the claim during an interview with DW on Saturday.
He also said the emergency ruling on the state by President Bola Tinubu was unconstitutional.
According to him, “The fight bewtween the current governor of Rivers State and the FCT minister is about sharing money. If not, what is the quarrel. Nigerians don’t dislike corruption again. I’ve not seen anybody on the street querying what the problem is. Can both of them speak to the public and tell us what the problem is about.”
Speaking further Amaechi alleged that the recent declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu is a strategic move to intimidate governors into supporting his re-election bid.
On March 18, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing the ongoing political crisis and the vandalism of oil facilities as key reasons.
The declaration led to the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state’s House of Assembly for a period of six months. Tinubu also appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator of the state.
The president’s actions have been met with strong opposition, with critics, including members of the civil society and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), calling the move unconstitutional.
News360 Info reports that Amaechi, who is also a former governor of Rivers State, claimed that the declaration of emergency was an attempt to scare governors into supporting the president’s re-election campaign in 2027.
He alleged that the move had instilled fear in governors, suggesting that those who did not align with the president would face similar treatment.
“It is between the president and the FCT minister. The president wants a power grab. They want to frighten governors who may not support them in 2027. So, there is a rumour everywhere that if you are not careful, the president will remove you,” the former Rivers governor said.
“If the president said it is because of insecurity, because they blew the pipeline, what about part of the country where there is insecurity? Is the president saying they should impose emergency rule on him too? They can’t because he is a democratically elected president. Nobody can impose an emergency rule on him because there is serious insecurity in the north-east, north-west — even in south-east and south-west,” Amaechi stated.
